Acquiring high quality polished and lapped injection molds requires exacting surface finish and surface form. Surface finish is quantified visually, however, surface form must be measured. Historically, injection molds were measured using hand-held gauging devices. The gauging devices scanned the surface of the injection mold by remaining in contact with rounded diamond tips that were directly in contact with the surface of the injection mold. When the diamond tips were removed from the surface, the surface may be either damaged or may require additional surface polishing of the injection mold to remove any contact paths.
The present state of the measuring art requires significant downtime of the automated lapping system, hence, the measurement process of the injection mold is reserved for the final stages of the mold finishing for confirmation of shape compliance only. Therefore, measuring systems and methods for automated lapping systems which progressively perform measurements that reduce down time, offer real-time lapping progress, and reduce the possibility of marring the surface would have utility.